With the holidays around the corner, I’m starting a new tradition of serving fondue/raclette for Christmas Eve. So to make the most of it, I’ve been testing the best wines with fondue and raclette ahead of time. It’s a huge sacrifice to have to research which wines I like most with the gooey yummy melted cheese, but that’s about the only type of sacrifice I’m willing to make these days.

I’ve only recently come to enjoy fondue and raclette. Am I a little late to the party? Yes. Will I make up for lost time? Also, yes. You’d think dipping bread and potatoes into cheese would be something I would have gravitated towards early on, but alas. Perhaps it’s because fondue and raclette are from cold weather regions and I live on a Mediterranean island. Who knows? But winter is coming so give me all the cheese and all the carbs.

Best Wines with Fondue & Raclette

The best wines with fondue and raclette are high acid, dry white wines. Fondue and raclette both originate from Switzerland. Is it a coincidence that the best wines you’ll find from Switzerland and the other wine regions surrounding the Alps are known for their dry white wines with zippy acidity? I think not. German, Swiss, and Austrian white wines are a foolproof pairing with fondue and raclette. French white wines from Alsace will be a great match with fondue, as well.

If you want to peek and go, here are the 15 best wines for fondue and raclette. Keep scrolling for explanations for more in depth wine pairing tips.

List of Best Wines for Fondue and Raclette (White Wine)

White wines are the best wines for fondue in my opinion. These have high acidity which will cut through the fat content of the cheese, as well as balance out the saltiness.

1. Chasselas
2. Gruner Veltliner
3. Riesling
4. Pinot Gris
5. Chenin Blanc
6. Muscat
7. Sauvignon Blanc
8. Chardonnay
9. Champagne

Best Red Wines with Fondue and Raclette

I didn’t forget my red wine lovers. Here are the best red wines with fondue and raclette. Again, looking for high acid dry wines here. Grenache and Pinot Noir will be the easiest wines to find at your local spot. However, Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch are two wines worth checking out. Zweigelt is an Austrian red wine grape that is bright, tart, and fruit. Blaufränkisch, or Kékfrankos in Hungarian, is a balanced wine with lots of red berry fruit flavors.

1. Grenache
2. Pinot Noir (Blauburgunder)
3. Blaufränkisch
4. Zweigelt
5. Barbera
6. Tempranillo

How to Choose the Best Wines with Fondue and Raclette

Fondue comes from the French word fondre, or to melt. Raclette comes from the French word racler meaning to scrape, as in scraping off bits of cheese as it melts on the grill. If you understand what cheese is used and how the fondue and raclette are served, it’ll be even easier to choose the best wine.

I’ve separated the fondue wine pairing from raclette wine pairing for the purposes of this post, but ultimately these wines can be enjoyed with both.

Fondue Wine Pairing

Fondue is a melted cheese in a communal pot where guests dip in their favorite accoutrements. The cheeses traditionally used for fondue are Gruyère, Gouda, and fontina. These are hard cheeses that melt easily. Always try to use the highest quality cheeses you can find since cheese is the highlight of the meal. Hard cheeses are used for fondue because they have a longer shelf life, a necessity in the long winter months when fresh cheeses aren’t produced. Fondue is typically served with (stale) bread, crackers, or potatoes.

Now, since we have a bunch of melted, salty, nutty cheeses, we need wines that’ll cut through the fat and salt. High acid wines do exactly that. White wines, are in my opinion, the best wines with fondue, especially alpine wines with very high acidity like Chasselas, Riesling, Grüner Veltliner.

Since fondue is enjoyed more frequently around the holidays, you can never go wrong with pairing fondue with Champagne. It’s high in acid and the bubbles help cleanse your palate. I’ve written extensively (almost embarrassing at this point) about how much I love Champagne with French fries so definitely choose bubbly if your fondue will be served with potatoes.

Red Wine for Fondue

Around the holidays, it is traditional to serve fondue with cubes of meat. Fondue Chinoise, or Chinese fondue, is where red wine will shine. We still want a red wine with lots of acidity to cut through the grease of the cheese, so a Grenache or Pinot Noir will be the best wines for fondue. I always recommend trying something new, so check out some Swiss or Austrian wines like Blaufränkisch or Zweigelt. Barbera is another natural choice since Fontina cheese and Barbera are basically made for each other.

Raclette Wine Pairing

Raclette is a bit different from fondue but conceptually the same. Instead of big ole pot of gooey cheese, raclette is made on a specific raclette grill. Raclette is also the name of the cheese used to make it. (When raclette is spelled with a lowercase, it’s the food and when it’s uppercase it’s the cheese.) Raclette cheese is salty, slightly sweet, and a bit nutty. White wines like Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscat are the best wines for raclette.

Raclette is served traditionally with potatoes and cured meat, pickles, grilled vegetables, and bread. I got a lot of tips on making and serving raclette from this blogger. With the addition of some cured meats and the ‘grill’ factor, raclette can handle a bit more intense wine like Chardonnay or a red wine. I particularly like a young Tempranillo when raclette is served with more cured meats than veggies.

A Few More Tips on Pairing Wine with Fondue and Raclette

Best Wines to Make Fondue

To make fondue, about a cup of white wine is added to the cheese. This helps smooth it out and obviously makes it even tastier. While you can certainly use any of the white wines you’re planning to serve with fondue (except bubbly), it is totally acceptable to use a cheaper bottle of dry white wine. Grab a cheapy bottle of Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. This is a classic fondue recipe to follow.

Let me know if you give fondue or raclette a try this holiday season. Obviously I want to know the wine pairing you choose as well. I’ll give it a try and add it to the list!

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